About this collection

Building on the exhibition, The Grandeur of Life: A Celebration of Charles Darwin and the Origin of Species, this collection of images contains selected illustrations of animals, plants, and fossils, drawn from books and journals published between 1485 and 1870. Many of these are among the most impressive and attractive natural illustrations ever printed. Authors and artists include John James Audubon, John Gould, Conrad Gesner, Gilbert White, Georges Cuvier, Alfred Russel Wallace, Edward Lear, Thomas Pennant, and, of course, Charles Darwin, along with scores of others.